The Potions Master Rests Not
by Pravus Malum
Summary: In the next life, Severus Snape is determined to win Lily back from James, no matter what. Not even if it kills him. Snape/Lily/James Triangle


**Hello everyone! Thank you for trying this story! The scene begins right after the snake has bit him. Read on, in Snape's POV!**

Well, Severus Snape was forced to admit that he was dead. Dead as the crushed beetles he forced his students to brew, actually. He only hoped that Harry the dunce understood the importance of his memories and didn't dump it down a sewer in disgust. The boy did loathe him, after all. Then again, he figured Voldemort was going to kill Harry anyway. So not only was his life for nothing, but he had given his only redemption, the key to forgiveness, to a boy who would probably join him in a few moment's time. That, to Snape, was disheartening, to say the least.

That was when he opened his eyes.

He blinked several times, wondering whether heaven or hell could be so…bland. He found himself in a blank room that resembled very much like a train station, with a solitary wizard in the center of the tiled floor.

_Dumbledore. _

_Dear God, it was Dumbledore with that ridiculous faux pony-tail a la beard. _

Snape felt uneasy. Being with Dumbledore didn't necessary constitute being in heaven. Quite the opposite. And knowing the old headmaster's secrets and past, the uneasiness grew.

When the headmaster caught sight of the professor, he immediately went towards him, a benign expression in his face.

Great. Dumbledore was going to thank him. Well, it was the least the bumbling man could do for all his life sacrifice.

"Snape?" said Dumbledore in a quivering voice. "How could you?"

"For Lily," said Snape simply.

"No!" Dumbledore waved away his touching sentiment. "I mean, how could you die by a mere snakebite? Don't you now how horribly embarrassing that is?"

Well, didn't Snape know that already? No one would expect Voldemort to have an unusual sense of humor. Let's not kill the potion master with a merciful Avada Kedavra! No, no. Let's kill the potions master with poison, which he probably spent sixteen years of his life studying, and make it a snake, the emblem of his House, on top of it! Humiliating.

"Thank you for that enlightening praise, Headmaster," he said coldly. "Now, if you'd kindly direct me to wherever I'm supposed to go…"

"Well, you could go back!" Dumbledore said simply.

He tried to hide his flabbergasted expression. "You mean come back to life?"

"Precisely!"

"Well, then, I will."

The unnerving headmaster only twiddled his thumbs at the response. "Don't you want to die a hero's death?"

"Not if no one knows," said Snape, trying very hard to keep the edge from his voice.

"But wouldn't you want to see your old friends again?" continued Dumbledore, giving him a sidelong glance. "James? Remus? Sirius?"

"Dear heavens, I think I'll leave now!"

"Dobby? Voldemort?" He paused delicately. "Lily?"

Snape froze. Lily. The time was now. They couldn't be together in life. But death? Death tore down all rules. And as much as he liked to uphold them, he felt like doing a Harry Potter and ignoring every one that withheld him from his childhood dream.

"It's too bad James is dead too," said Dumbledore innocently, "with her."

Snape wondered if it was blood pounding in his ears, regardless whether he was dead or not. He had given up pride, honor, his job, _everything_, for her. The one thing he couldn't give up, though, was Lily. He spun around and glared. "Albus, you're forcing me to die, aren't you?"

"Ho hum," was his answer. Then his eyes glinted from behind the half-moon spectacles. "With death comes many possibilities. All you have to do is board the train."

Snape thought quickly. What did he have in life anyway? His task was complete. Who _cared_ if he didn't live to receive the recognition? And besides, he didn't want to return to life only to tell people over and over, "And yes, that's right, the last thing I did before I died was stare fondly into Harry Potter's eyes…"

No. Way.

Finally, he spoke in a supremely irritated voice, "Albus, I do believe you are the death of me."

With that, he boarded the train, watching the compartment doors slide shut. Dumbledore merrily waved him goodbye, but Snape didn't look. He was determined to succeed with his second chance. Screw James. He was going to come back and confront them all. And he was going to emerge the victor, with Lily as his rightful prize. This time.

**This, again, is not my usual style, but I was going for simple and lighthearted, rather than the angsty, deep stuff I've dabbled in. I figured we've had enough touching Snape-death moments. But now, it's Snape's turn to tell the story, and he won't be pitied. Especially not by Muggles. **

**Thank you for reading! And please review! I just want to see how much interest I can garner up…as this is a sample chapter. Thoughts, if you will!**


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